Introduction:

This web page provides a
"virtual tour" of the Oregon Trail
from its last crossing of the
North Platte River at modern-day Casper, Wyoming, to the point where it crossed the
continental divide and entered the Oregon Territory at South Pass. There are over 120 photos included in this tour.
Click on "Photo tour" at left to start.

The stretch of 150 trail miles from Casper to South Pass
is perhaps the best-preserved section of the original route, and includes
important landmark features such as Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, Split Rock,
Emigrant Gap, Prospect Hill, Rocky Ridge, and South Pass. Wheel ruts from the original trail are
visible in several places, and thanks to the isolation of the area, it is possible
in many places to see a landscape almost unchanged from what 19th century travelers
would have seen.

The Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails all coincide here. It was along this
stretch of trail that the Mormon handcart companies of 1856 encountered the hardships
of early snows, freezing cold, and starvation. The LDS church maintains a visitor's
center at Devil's Gate where a hiking trail allows easy access to Martin's Cove -- the
place one of these companies sought shelter while awaiting rescue from Salt Lake City.

Features:

The primary feature of this page is a
photo tour of the route with some
brief historical notes on some of the locations.
There's no substitute for standing in the old wagon ruts, but the
"armchair tourist" in you may enjoy these photos. I've also included some
free computer desktop images of scenes from the photo
tour.

Use of the photos on this site:

All photos on this site are copyrighted by
Mark J. Nielsen
(2006-2013) and can be used
by permission only. That being said, I'm not out to make any profit from this site
and would be happy to give permission for reasonable (noncommercial) uses of anything here. Contact
me by emailing "markn" "@" "uidaho.edu" if you would like such permission. I may even
be able to supply you with a higher-resolution version -- the photos here have been
edited because of limited storage space.